Open Space Committee
Open Space Committee meeting minutes for Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Meeting began at 7:10 p.m.
Present: Rick Gardner, Annie Charrette, Susan Downing, Laura Reynolds, Deb Cary (remotely) and Karen Rossow.
Minutes of the January meeting unanimously approved.
Annual Earth Month Clean Up: we support OSC participation in this month-long community event. The first meeting of the EMCU team will be on February 23rd at 10:00 a.m. at Mountainside Café. Rick and Karen will attend.
Budget: As decided at the last meeting, we requested level funding in the amount of $985 for the coming fiscal year, and opted not to request $1000 for Central Mass Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)’s regional trail plan.
Rick and Laura’s book of hikes is nearly complete. Rick added two QR codes so that people have access to information that links provide online. The idea is hike information residents can print out readily, but it’s too large to print more than a few copies by our committee. Deb may be able to print a few so there would be a copy at the library and perhaps town hall. We are interested in creating something like the Harvard booklet discussed at the last meeting but it isn’t a priority for this spring.
Rick submitted the annual report for us.
The OSC was represented at the P&R winter carnival at Krashes Fields by Rick, Deb and Susan. All felt it was worthwhile to attend and talk with people about our activities.
Last year the spring nature walks were a success. We want to do this again. Deb will email the naturalists to invite them to participate again this spring. We’ll wait to see how that goes before taking any more steps but Susan is willing to orchestrate behind scenes again.
Parcel analysis action items underway. Rick and Deb are spearheading conversations with stakeholders such as representatives for Worcester’s water supply, who are interested in preserving land with water that flows to the Quinapoxet Reservoir. On February 21st they have a meeting scheduled with Felicia at DCR and have already contacted James McCarthy from DCR. Other parcels also, as reviewed last month.
Goodnow Park: We’ll hold two walks there: the first on Earth Day being a kids’ walk with Annie and Karen and the second one whatever day we hold an Earth Month Clean Up celebration on the common, as part of that event.
Thomas Prince trails: Deb and Annie are proceeding with the grant application process to make a portion of the trails closest to the school accessible. They’re requesting a $2,500 town match for the grant, a substantial reduction from the initial $10,000 request.
No news regarding the Begley property access for trails, but Troy Milliken did a walkthrough of his property with Rick and is amenable to creating trails on his property behind Brooks Station Road towards a Princeton Land Trust parcel named “Wachusett House” due to its proximity to that little community and to respect the privacy of the person who funded the land purchase.
Trails plan next steps: we all agree that there is enough feedback from our 2021 survey to guide us on the next version of the trail plan without needing a new survey, which would likely include the same respondents. Karen read the 13-page plan on our website and notes that it isn’t the OSC per se but a sub-committee but it doesn’t say who this group is. Rick will dig that information up for the next one. We also feel that one community listening session will be enough, and we can divide into various neighborhood groups then so we get valuable ideas from those who know the areas best. No specific timeline for this.
Regarding east Princeton TAP trail segment, permission from Norco sportsmen club would be ideal. Both have said no to hiking trails, but in the case of Nimrod the discussion had included bicycles and horses at the time. Rick may reach out to these organizations again. We would also like the bridge by the onion patch behind Quik Stop to be replaced for access to the trails back there.
Karen’s agenda item relates to trails and their negative impacts on the flora and fauna in the habitats they traverse. She points to the state BioMap for Princeton (Mass.gov/biomap) as a resource when analyzing parcels. On September 21, 2023, Governor Maura Healey signed an executive order (No. 618) that sets groundbreaking conservation goals throughout the commonwealth. When people walk or hike through a natural habitat we are disturbing all the living things there. Obviously, the benefits to humans are tremendous and she isn’t suggesting we cease this activity, but questions when the OSC will consider Princeton sufficiently saturated with trails. Rick says that day will come but we’re a long way from it, while Karen feels we are quickly approaching it. We have not reached a consensus on this and will revisit the topic.
Karen suggests that the OSC are stewards of the landscape and has read scientific reports indicating that each trail is detrimental to the environment to some degree and used an anecdote about a walk she led on Calamint Hill Conservation Area (CHCA) in which, after her group had reached their destination, a latecomer caught up with them and that person saw a smooth green snake and a coyote, presumably because the animals thought the coast was clear after the group went by. Susan suggested we could limit the number of hikers in our groups or use trails less frequently. Rick pointed out that he never uses the same hike twice in one year when he leads the popular Princeton Hikes! program, which was welcome news. Deb pointed out how the Mass Audubon staff deliberately work with the habitat and creatures’ wellbeing as the highest priority and they can find alternate routes or limit access as deemed appropriate. Generally, the group agreed we should be considerate of such consequences when we select routes for new trails.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m.
Tasks before we next meet: Rick and Deb will attend a meeting with DCR on February 21st; Rick and Karen will attend EMCU meeting on February 23rd; Deb will email naturalists to ask them to lead nature walks this spring; Deb and Rick continue to have conversations with land stakeholders; Annie and Deb are working on an accessibility grant for TPS trails.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Rossow